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The Best Mattresses Guide

Simple advice on the UK’s best mattresses and beds

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Buying a John Lewis & Partners mattress - 5 top tips for 2020 and 2021

John Lewis & Partners has a big choice of mattresses, ranging from about £100 to £8000 for a double (when I checked).

But what’s the difference between their cheapest and most expensive mattress? And what should you look for in a John Lewis & Partners mattress? And how many more rhetorical questions will I ask before I get to the point?

 1. Understand the John Lewis & Partners mattress brand​s

Mattresses sold at John Lewis can be split into four main categories:
  • John Lewis & Partners Natural Collection, which is made by a British mattress company called Harrison Spinks which won best manufacturer at the 2018 National Bed Federation Awards (no doubt described as 'The Oscars of the Mattress World' by the public relations people). Prices from about £500 to £4000 for a king size. It also featured in a BBC TV series called 'Inside The Factory' with that enthusiastic bald headed guy from Masterchef. The company also has a Manufacturing Guild Award which is a good sign of quality.
  • House by John Lewis, which is their budget range of mattresses. They cost about £200 for a king size when I checked. As a (very) general rule, you get what you pay for with a mattress so this is one to consider if you don’t have hundreds of pounds for a mattress stuffed under the, er, mattress or perhaps if you want a guest bed mattress. These usually come with a shorter warranty than the more expensive mattresses.
  • Foam mattresses made by trendy new brands called things like Simba and Emma. Most of these come with a 100 night or 200 night trial, so you can return it if you don’t like it. Instead of springs, these use a combination of different types of foams and generally cost somewhere around £500 - £700 for a king size. 
  • Mattresses made by traditional and posh brands like Vispring, Hypnos, Dunlopillo and Tempur:
    • ​Vispring invented the pocket spring mattress more than 100 years ago and have remained one of the big names ever since. Warranties can be as long as 30 years. King size prices range from about £1000 to £5000.
    • Hypnos make beds for the British Royal Family and have won awards recently at the National Bed Federation Awards. About £1000 to £2500 for a king size.
    • Tempur were pioneers in memory foam mattresses after taking inspiration from NASA. About £1500 to £2500 for a king size mattress.​

 2. Check the John Lewis & Partners mattress specification

I’m a fan of the John Lewis & Partners website because their specifications give a lot more detail than pretty much every other mattress retailer online. For nerds like me, this is useful information which explains what you are getting for your money, rather than the usual marketing waffle offered by an eager copywriter.

Things to look for in the specification section include:
  • Depth: look for a mattress which is deep (in terms of size rather than emotionally). Deeper mattresses usually offer more comfort and provide more support than thin mattresses. They also cost more because they use more materials. 21cm+ is a good sign although it's a bigger deal if you are a heavy person.
  • Hand Size Stitching: this is the posher way of putting a mattress together and makes it stronger at the edges. Cheaper mattresses use machines instead of human beings. One day the machines will take over and we shall bow down before them, but until then we can say that human beings do a better job.
  • Mattress turn: as a general rule, posher mattresses can be turned over so that you don’t get as many unpleasant saggy bits over time (an issue we all have to face). Cheap mattresses put the good quality stuff on the top and cheap stuff on the bottom. The exception is where a mattress has a topper as you can’t turn it over because the topper will end up on the bottom.
  • Spring count: generally, a more expensive mattress has more springs. For lighter people, 1000 springs on a king size mattress provides adequate support whilst heavier people will benefit from a number closer to 2000. Where you see massive numbers (such as 5000 springs) there is more than one layer of springs. Take a look at the number of larger springs, as the smaller springs are just for a bit of extra comfort. Just to confuse you, the advertised number of springs always refers to a king size mattress but you can also find the actual number of springs in the John Lewis & Partners descriptions.​

 3. Check the John Lewis & Partners mattress firmness scale

There’s no industry-wide agreement on what different mattress tensions mean, which creates a lot of, er, tension for the shopper.

But let's raise a metaphorical glass to John Lewis & Partners who actually bother to tell you what they mean when they say that a mattress is ‘soft’ ‘medium’ or ‘firm’.

They recommend a:
  • soft mattress for anyone who weighs under 8 stone
  • medium mattress for people who weigh 8 – 16 stone
  • firm mattress for people who weigh more than 16 stone

I assume these guidelines just relate to mattresses they sell with their name on, rather than third party mattresses.

 4. Rummage through the John Lewis & Partners ‘reduced to clear’ mattress section

John Lewis & Partners don’t generally do cheesy site-wide discounts (e.g. “50% off everything and DOUBLE discounts this SUPERSIZED bank holiday weekend! Must end Monday!”). However, they do have a reduced to clear section where there are a modest range of bargains to be had.

When I checked the John Lewis & Partners reduced to clear mattresses section there were about a dozen mattresses reduced by about 20%, including some really good deals.

Unlike some retailers, the discounts seem to be genuine rather than putting the prices up and then offering everything at a massive reduction to trick you into thinking you’re getting a good deal...

John Lewis & Partners also sometimes offer deals such as 20% off a big choice of mattresses for Black Friday or Boxing Day sales.

5. Call ahead if you want a try a mattress instore

This may be obvious, but John Lewis & Partners don't display every mattress in their stores so it's worth checking if they actually have the one you want to try out.

When I checked, they were offering 119 different king size mattresses, so they won't be able to display them all. 

Related guides from the Best Mattresses Guide

Mattress with two pillows and a headboard

10 of the best mattress retailers

Where to start your search for good quality beds and mattresses in the UK​
Top of a tufted mattress

10 of the best mattresses of 2020/2021

10 mattresses which have won awards and rave reviews 
Teddy bear on a quilted mattress

Best places to buy cheap mattresses

Where to shop for a mattress on a budget of £500, £200 or £100

Buying advice

Beginners' guide
​
Best retailers
Cheap retailers
Divan or bedstead?
​
How to choose a mattress
​John Lewis mattresses
​Memory foam or springs?

Best mattresses

Top 10 mattresses
Arthritis
Back sleepers​
Bed in a box
Best for bad backs
​Cheap mattresses
Cheap memory foam
​Emperor mattresses
​Best firm mattresses
Mattresses with free trials
​
Front sleepers
​Best for heavy people
​Hybrid mattresses
​Kids mattresses
Best latex mattresses
Medium firm mattresses
Top 5 memory foam
​Pillow top mattresses
Pocket sprung mattresses
​
Queen size mattresses
​Side sleepers
​Single mattresses
​
Single memory foam
​Small double mattresses
​Small single mattresses
Best soft mattresses
Wool mattresses
Zip link mattresses


Other guides

​Adjustable beds
Air beds
​Best bedding
Bedspreads
Blankets/throws
​Bunk beds
​Bunk bed with desk
Best carpets
Chair beds
​Cheap beds
Cot bed mattresses
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Double bunk beds
Double storage beds
Duvets
​Electric blankets
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Folding beds
Guest beds
Headboards
Mattress protectors
​Metal beds
Ottoman beds
Pillows
​Silk pillowcases
Silk pyjamas
​
Sleigh beds
​5 best sofa beds
Best toppers
Trundle beds
TV beds
Weighted blankets
White beds
​Wooden beds
​
​




Brands

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  • Home
  • Mattress advice
    • How to choose a mattress
    • Best Mattresses beginners guide
    • Memory foam v pocket spring mattresses - which is best?
    • 6 tips for buying the best pocket spring mattress
    • 5 tips for buying the best memory foam mattress
    • The 5 questions you need to answer before buying a bed
    • Is an orthopedic mattress the best for a bad back?
  • Best mattresses
    • 10 of the best mattresses of 2020 and 2021
    • By type >
      • 6 best pocket sprung mattresses 2020 and 2021
      • 6 best memory foam mattresses 2020 and 2021
      • 5 best latex mattresses 2020 and 2021
      • 5 best pillow top mattresses 2020 and 2021
      • 5 best bed in a box 2020 and 2021
      • 5 best hybrid mattresses 2020 and 2021
    • By brand >
      • By brand - A to E >
        • Casper Mattress
        • 5 best Dormeo mattresses 2020 and 2021
        • Dunlopillo mattresses
        • Emma mattresses >
          • Emma Mattress/Emma Original
          • Emma Hybrid Mattress
        • Ergoflex Mattress
        • Eve Mattress
      • By brand - F to R >
        • Hypnos mattresses >
          • The Premier Inn Hypnos Mattress
          • 5 best Hypnos mattresses 2020 and 2021
        • Nectar Sleep Mattress
        • OTTY mattresses
      • By brand - S to Z >
        • 5 best Sealy mattresses 2020 and 2021
        • 5 best Silentnight mattresses 2020 and 2021
        • Simba Sleep mattresses >
          • Simba Hybrid Mattress
          • Simba Hybrid Pro Mattress
        • Sleepeezee mattresses
        • Tempur mattresses
        • 5 best Vispring mattresses 2020 and 2021
    • Specialist mattresses >
      • 10 best cot mattresses for baby's beds 2020 and 2021
      • 7 mattresses for heavy people 2020 and 2021
      • Best mattresses for back pain and bad backs 2020 and 2021
      • Best mattresses for arthritis 2020 and 2021
      • 5 best wool mattresses 2020 and 2021
      • 5 best kids mattresses 2020 and 2021
    • By firmness >
      • 5 best soft mattresses 2020 and 2021
      • 5 best medium firm mattresses 2020 and 2021
      • 5 best firm mattresses 2020 and 2021
      • 5 best orthopedic/orthopaedic mattresses 2020 and 2021
    • By sleeping position >
      • 5 best mattresses for side sleepers 2020 and 2021
      • 5 best mattresses for front/stomach sleepers 2020 and 2021
      • 5 best mattresses for back sleepers 2020 and 2021
    • By price >
      • 5 best cheap mattresses under £200 2020 and 2021
      • 5 best cheap beds 2020 and 2021
      • 6 of the best mattresses with a free trial 2020 and 2021
      • 5 cheap memory foam mattresses 2020 and 2021
    • By size >
      • 6 of the best emperor mattresses, beds, bedsteads and divans 2020 and 2021
      • 5 best zip link beds and mattresses 2020 and 2021
      • 5 of the best small single mattresses 2020 and 2021
      • 5 of the best single beds and single mattresses 2020 and 2021
      • 6 best single memory foam mattresses 2020 and 2021
      • 5 of the best small double mattresses 2020 and 2021
      • 5 of the best queen size beds and queen mattresses 2020 and 2021
      • 5 of the best double beds 2020 and 2021
  • Best Beds
    • Divan base or bedstead - which is best?
    • Day beds, sofa beds and guest beds >
      • 5 best sofa beds 2020 and 2021
      • 5 of the best air beds 2020 and 2021
      • 5 of the best day beds 2020 and 2021
      • 5 of the best guest beds 2020 and 2021
      • 5 of the best trundle beds 2020 and 2021
      • 5 best chair beds and single sofa beds 2020 and 2021
      • 5 of the best folding beds 2020 and 2021
    • Bunk beds >
      • 5 of the best bunk beds with desks 2020 and 2021
      • 6 of the best bunk beds 2020 and 2021
      • 5 of the best double bunk beds 2020 and 2021
    • Wooden, metal and fabric bedframes >
      • 5 of the best wooden beds 2020 and 2021
      • 5 of the best metal beds 2020 and 2021
      • 5 of the best sleigh beds 2020 and 2021
      • 5 of the best white beds 2020 and 2021
      • 5 of the best leather beds 2020 and 2021
    • Storage beds >
      • 6 of the best ottoman beds and storage beds 2020 and 2021
      • 5 best single beds with storage and single ottoman beds 2020 and 2021
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      • 6 best adjustable beds 2020 and 2021
      • 5 of the best TV beds 2020 and 2021
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    • Duvets and blankets >
      • 5 of the best duvets for summer and winter 2020 and 2021
      • 5 of the best electric blankets and heated blankets 2020 and 2021
      • 5 of the best weighted blankets 2020 and 2021
      • 5 best bedspreads 2020 and 2021
      • 5 best blankets and throws 2020 and 2021
      • 5 best wool blankets and wool throws 2020 and 2021
    • Pillows and pillowcases >
      • 5 of the best pillows 2020 and 2021
      • 6 best silk pillowcases 2020 and 2021
    • Bedding, sheets and toppers >
      • 5 of the best bedding sets 2020 and 2021
      • 5 of the best fitted sheets 2020 and 2021
      • 5 of the best mattress protectors 2020 and 2021
      • Which are the best mattress toppers?
    • Other guides >
      • 5 best silk pyjamas 2020 and 2021
      • Which is the best type of carpet material?
  • Retailers
    • 10 best places to buy cheap mattresses and divan beds under £500, £200 or £100
    • 10 of the best mattress retailers online 2020 and 2021
    • Buying a John Lewis & Partners mattress - 5 top tips for 2020 and 2021
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